Not to be confused with the 80's heavy metal inspired terror tale, this nifty horror anthology from director/writer Michael Dougherty (co-writer of Superman Returns), emerges as an instant Halloween classic. In fact, Trick 'R Treat should do for Halloween what A Christmas Story and It's A Wonderful Life did for Christmas.

Trick 'R Treat cleverly weaves four horrific tales together. These ghoulishly sly stories--which include werewolves, vampires, serial killers, and an unforgettable ghoul called Sam- unfold over the course of one frightful Halloween eve. Creepshow was certainly an influence here, but this film also pays homage to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, particularly in terms of how these gleefully creepy stories come together.

Dougherty's writing is as picture perfect as his direction. Trick 'R Treat is the absolute personification of Halloween. The sights...the sounds...the kills! What's more, this is a near perfect fusion of horror and comedy. When you're not screaming, I guarantee you'll be laughing. Sure, some of the humor is of the mean spirited variety, but tonally speaking, Trick 'R Treat hits all the right notes.
Credit a wonderfully entertaining cast for bringing real energy to this Halloween classic. In particular, watch for Dylan Baker's dry turn as an upstanding suburbanite with a hidden agenda, and a grizzled Brian Cox as an Ebenezer Scrooge for the Halloween set.

The only thing I can say that's disappointing about Trick 'R Treat has nothing at all to do with the film itself. Its more of a stab at Warner Brothers. For whatever reason, the WB opted to dump this film on DVD instead of giving it the theatrical release it truly deserved. I was lucky enough to see the film with a massive crowd of rabid fans at a special Comic-Con screening, and it was an amazing experience. So amazing in fact, that we've decided to screen the film at Horror-Fest.